Artist Profile: Mauricio J Rodriguez

Bass player, composer, producer, and educator, Mauricio J Rodriguez is one of the finest musicians of his generation in Cuba.  He was a member of Fervet Opus jazz quartet, one of the most important Latin jazz bands in Cuba in the 80’s, touring around the world to many festivals and concert including The Havana Latin Jazz Festival, Jamboree, Bratislava, Spain, and Moscow, among others.

In 1994 he moved to Venezuela with the string quintet Union under a contract with the Venezuelan Cultural Ministry to participate in the Youth Symphony System as a professor and consultant. For more than six years he taught at the Aragua Conservatory and was the Master of the Aragua’s Symphony Orchestra double bass section.

In 2001 he moved to the USA where his performance was well received in the music community inviting him to perform with different bands and ensembles, among them are Néstor Torres, Marty Morell, Guisando Caliente Latin Jazz, Renesito Avich, Daniel Giron Trio, Tomasito Cruz, and Fusion Beat, among others.

His degrees include a Master of Music Performance from University of South Florida and studies at the University of Miami in Jazz Studio Writing.

As a composer, his music has been performed around the world, from Symphony orchestras to soloists. He is the composer of Love and Betrayal, a fantasy about themes from Carmen by Bizet for two Double Basses and symphony orchestra, work premiered by the Miami Symphony Orchestra on March 19, 2017. As orchestrator he was commissioned by Chi-chi Nwanoku from Chineke! Foundation to orchestrate ‘Au penchant qui nous entrâine’ by Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) which was performed at the Prom 62, 2017, BBC Proms.

He currently hold the position of Composer-in-Residence of The Miami Symphony Orchestra and The Miami International Academy of the Bass.

As an educator, he was a member of the Cuban National Commission of Evaluation for the Artistic Sector (Music), a consultant for the national commission of schools of music, and member of the National Union of Writers and Artist of Cuba (UNEAC). Currently, he is at Saint Leo University as an Adjunct professor of music.

Mauricio J Rodriguez Project

After many years of attempting to find a personal voice that could describe my approach to expressing my influences and development as a musician, I have arrived with this production, Luz. Fortunately, friendship came in my support, and I am fortunate to have had Vicente Viloria as a co-producer, who also brought four original songs to this production. Many thanks to all my friends and colleagues musicians for contributing to this project with their talent and musicianship. I am very honored. However, there is no music if it will not satisfy the most critical factor from the formula, you, the listener. My greatest wish is to please you with the music presented in this album, and I hope you will have an enjoyable experience listening to it. – Mauricio J Rodriguez